


only you

by spxcewvlker



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Bughead Freeform, F/M, Feels, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Oneshot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-07 23:04:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11068935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spxcewvlker/pseuds/spxcewvlker
Summary: "How could he have been so foolish to believe that Betty would pick him over Archie?"In which Jughead doubts of Betty's feelings.





	only you

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys will enjoy this! x.  
> 

" _Surely you must think I've crossed a line, or that I've lost it. I honestly can't remember what happened that night at Ethel's, but both V and Chuck seem to tell me the same thing, that I pretended to be Polly. Diary, what is wrong with me?_ "

 

 

    ** _H_** er phone buzzed and Betty quickly deposed her pink pencil upon the page of the diary she had been scribbling in. Once it was in her hands, she glanced to the screen which indicated Archie was calling her. _Weird_ , she thought after realizing what hour it was. Curious, the blonde closed her notebook and unlocked her phone.

 

"Betty?" The redhead asked as soon as the girl picked up.

 

"Archie, why the hell are you calling so late? It's almost midnight — is everything alright?" She frowned lightly, trying to figure out the reason of his call. The last time it occurred so late was when Jughead's mom left with Jellybean. Archie had called Betty immediately after finding a crying Jughead sitting on the porch of his house, and they had both attempted to comfort him. That night, the three of them stayed in the Andrews' basement wrapped of sleeping bags and blankets, and stayed up until the early hours of the day trying to cheer up the beanie boy, which at the time was slightly too large for his little head. They were only 8 years old, and the blonde cherished the memory along with many others which all included her two childhood best friends.

 

"I, um, I need to talk to you."

 

Snapping out of her thoughts, Betty glanced out her window, and as the two lived right next of each other, their windows gave a pretty good view on the other's room. The redhead was already staring at her, his eyes almost begging. "Can't it wait till tomorrow? I was about to go to sleep."

 

"It can't wait, Betts. _Please_. Meet me outside your house, okay?"

 

Exhaling deeply, the blonde nodded softly and hung up. What did he have to tell her that was so important it couldn't wait till the morning? Pushing the thought away, she slipped a salmon pink hoodie on and tied up her hair in a messy bun before carefully making her way downstairs, doing her best to not wake up her mother.

 

As soon as she got outside, Archie stepped closer and she could've sworn his eyes held many worries. But what were they about? "So, tell me what's wrong, will you?" She wrapped her arms around herself, finding the weather rather chilly at this time of the evening.

 

His eyes fell to the ground after the question was asked, nervously running a hand through his hair. "I..."

 

"You what, Archie?"

 

"I love you, I _really_ do love you."

 

She chuckled softly. "Wait, are you _drunk_? You know, sometime you really behave like a drama queen, Arch–"

 

"No, you don't get it, Betty! I love you more than a friendly way, and I'm sorry I couldn't realize that till now but... I really do."

 

His words rang through her ears and her heart clenched in her chest. This couldn't be happening right now, just when she had finally found peace and love in Jughead. Just when she had finally managed to move on from Archie Andrews. She felt anger climbing up her chest, but she really needed to keep it inside. She couldn't pull another "dark Betty", and certainly not in front of him. Soon, her eyes builded up with tears as her mind brought her back to a few weeks ago, when they both stood in the same position and he had broken her heart by telling her he wasn't good enough for her. After telling her that she was _perfect_. She _hated_ that word more than anything else, mostly when it was used to describe her own self. And then, he had just walked away, leaving her all alone feeling rejected, _unwanted_.

 

"B-Betty?" He asked, his voice stuck down his throat. He stood rather close, and she could smell the hint of alcohol in his breath. "Say something. At least tell me that you love me back, tell me that–"

 

"You don't know what you're saying, Archie... please go home." She murmured, keeping her head low.

 

Of course, her redhead friend didn't listen. He'd always been rather stubborn, and had rarely been turned down by anyone until now.

  
"No, I'm not going away, I... I want you, Betty." That's when he leaned closer in attempt to kiss her, craving for their lips to touch, but received a fierce slap across his face instead.

 

"Why the hell would you do that, Archie?! I'm not free! I'm dating Jughead, remember? Your _best_ _friend_!" Betty yelled, feeling her cheeks heat up. She was furious. "And I can't believe you're drunk!"

 

"Please, Betts..." the redhead whispered, tears filling his eyes as well. His thoughts were confused, and he was definitely not thinking straight. Everything that had happened the past few hours was a big blur to him, the last thing he remembered properly was the bottle of alcohol he grabbed from his dad's mini bar. As Fred was out of town taking care of some paperwork for the divorce with Mary, Archie profited of the occasion to drink. He hated the undetermined marital situation of his parents and was confused about a lot of things, felt responsible for a lot of things. And a few hours back, to forget about everything appeared to be the best option. "I'm... I'm so... so sorry..." he stuttered, and then, bursted in tears. "It's just... it's been so hard lately, and the bottle was there, and... I-I didn't mean to."

 

Betty watched her best friend falling apart in front of her eyes, not wanting to but felt slight compassion for him. Even though he _chose_ to drink, alcohol was the one to blame in the situation, and she couldn't leave him be just like that. She knew that if he would've been sober, none of this would've happened.

  
Without thinking about it twice, she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him, her hand drawing slow circles in his back. "Shhh, Arch, it's okay." She whispered quietly, trying to steady him.

 

After several minutes, once Betty was convinced that he had calmed down, she pulled away from their embrace and searched for his eyes. "I'll help you get back inside, okay?"

 

Archie looked away, still feeling rather embarrassed about what just happened. First the kiss, then the tears; he felt like a mess.

 

The blonde helped him walk up to the porch of his house and opened the door, wondering what people would think if anyone would be seeing them right now. Archie was barely standing up by himself and she only wore a pair of flannel shorts with a hoodie — surely if anyone would let their imagination go wild a lot of different scenarios would come up to their minds.

 

And Jughead Jones didn't even have to imagine one of them as he watched the whole thing happening from Betty's backyard; his worst fears seemed to have just taken place. He had initially left the Andrews' house as soon as he realized Archie was drinking, not wanting to get involved into anything that would remind him of his childhood. Of course it had been selfish of him, to leave his best friend getting drunk all by himself, but he couldn't seem to control his fears. He'd been wandering alone outside for a while until deciding to check on Betty, which explained why he was in her backyard. He was about to climb up her window when he heard familiar voices coming from the front of the house, but when he went to find out to who they belonged to, he discovered his two best friends sharing a rather close hug and he immediately felt his heart shatter in pieces. And this was his worst fear coming true. He shouldn't even have been surprised — after all it was no secret to anyone that Archie Andrews had been the blonde's number one crush for as long as the people inhabiting the town could remember.

 

How could he have been so _foolish_ to believe that Betty would pick _him_ over Archie?

 

  
—~—

 

  
Once the blonde made sure Archie was okay, she headed downstairs and made her way back to her own house. She quietly went upstairs, once again making sure her mother wouldn't hear her — she wouldn't dare imagine what would happen if Alice would caught her out of bed so late at night.

 

But everything fell apart when she opened the door of her bedroom and saw the shadow of someone sitting on the bench by her window. And as her room was soaked in the darkness of the night, there were no ways for her to find out who was there.

 

"Who's there?" She was convinced she had been whispering, but the shushing noises she obtained from the person standing in her room made her realize that she had, indeed, said that out loud. The figure stepped closer and it didn't take her long to recognize the familiar crown shaped beanie proudly sitting on top of her boyfriend's head.

 

" _Wow_ , you can't even recognize your own boyfriend in the dark?" His voice held something different, something Betty couldn't quite put her finger on. But it sounded as though he was upset, _hurt_ , even. "Although, what am I saying, you've never seen me as your boyfriend, have you?"

 

She raised her brows, confused. First, at why he was in her bedroom right now, and secondly, what he meant by that. "Jug... what are you talking about?"

 

A dry chuckle escaped his lips. "Don't play the innocent, Betty." He paused, looking down. "I've seen you with Archie, the way he held you... the way _you_ held him!"

 

"How did you–"

 

"I was there, Betts, in your backyard! Because believe it or not, I was stupid enough to believe you cared about me, that you _loved_ me!" He regretted admitting it as soon as the words came out of his lips, watching as her face turned red, and he knew then that she was hurt. "I... I was with Archie when he started to drink, and... I got, _scared_. I thought that maybe seeing you would help... but you know what, I–"

 

"Juggie!" Betty interrupted him before it would've been too late. She was in shock, and couldn't believe Jughead thought she would cheat on him with Archie. Or worse, she couldn't believe he thought she would pick their redhead friend over him. Without hesitating, she cupped her face with her hands and made him look at her, her eyes tearful but pleading. "How can you... how can you believe I'd do that to you?!"

 

"Because you love Archie!" He didn't mean to snap at her or make her upset, but all of this right now, it was too much. He's been beyond happy the past few weeks with her, she was his anchor and he couldn't lose her, and now to think all along she had her eyes on Archie... it was way too much to deal with. So he angrily seized her hands and moved them off his face. "Everyone knows you do, that's not a secret to anyone in Riverdale! Some people even think you two are dating, I mean," he scoffed, "you're a cheerleader, he's a football player, who are we kidding? Hell, you'd be the _perfect_ couple!"

 

"For the love of God, Jughead Jones, I do not love Archie that way! I don't anymore, not since you cared enough to spend your time listening to me, being my shoulder to cry on — you were the only one there for me, Jug, when nobody else was!"

 

"I would pick _you_ over Archie a thousand times. You're the one that I love, not Archie, not anyone else, but you. _Only_ _you_!"

 

The raven haired boy stared blankly at her, feeling his heart beating faster than it ever had before. For the first time since he entered her room that night, he didn't know what to say, nor what to do. He tried to process what this all meant, and why he had previously came to a conclusion so fast.

 

Footsteps got closer and a familiar voice raised in the Coopers' house and before he even knew it, Betty shoved him inside her closet, quickly closing the doors behind him.

 

Then, she rushed under the covers of her bed, pulled her hoodie off, opened the lamp on her nightstand and grabbed her notebook, making it look as though she was only writing when her mother opened the door of her room.

 

"What are you doing up so late, honey?" Alice suspiciously asked as she noticed her daughter's red cheeks, her brows raising softly. 

 

"You know, the usual. I couldn't sleep and felt like writing down my thoughts." Betty answered, trying to ignore her racing heart through her chest. "What are _you_ doing up so late?"

 

"I heard voices coming from your room, Betty. I thought maybe–"

 

"Oh! That must've been when I called Veronica for a homework we need to turn in tomorrow morning first period, I just needed help for a question." She said, forcing a smile.

 

"It definitely sounded as though someone else was–"

 

"Honestly mom, everything's under control. You should go back to sleep, it's getting late." Her forced smile grew larger, as though trying to convince her mother of her lies. And it worked, because a few seconds later, Alice was out of the room, and closed the door behind before leaving.

 

Betty waited several seconds before hopping out of her bed and walked over to the closet. When she opened the doors, she apologetically looked down to Jughead and helped him up, as he had previously sat on the floor, within her many suspended clothes.

 

After several seconds of awkward silence and stares, Jughead finally spoke. "So..." he muttered, shoving his hands down the pockets of his jeans. "What... what were you saying, again?"

 

"Something like that," she replied in a whisper, pulling him in for a kiss as she wrapped her hands around his neck. She did not only want to tell him how she really felt, but also to _show_ him. And she kissed him like she never had before, arousing desires within his body he didn't even know he had.

 

"I'm so sorry, Betty..." Jughead whispered into her ear when their lips separated, feeling truly ashamed for the way he behaved around her earlier, and for all the accusations he blindly threw at her.

 

"Seriously Jughead, shut up and kiss me."

 

And the boy did as asked. He cupped her face with his hands as she pressed herself closer to him, and captured her lips within his. Over and over again, before ending up on her bed, where they both decided to stop due to many reasons that made it a very bad idea to keep going further for now.

 

But that night, he didn't go back to the Andrews' house. And not only because Betty literally begged him to stay with her, but also because he didn't want to leave her for the night.

 

That night, they fell asleep in Betty's bed tucked next of each other, Jughead's arms protectively wrapped around his beautiful blonde, whose head rested on his shoulder.


End file.
